CALDWELL, Idaho – The Corban University men's basketball team nearly pulled off a thrilling road upset against No. 10-ranked College of Idaho on Friday evening, storming back in the second half to force overtime in a highly-anticipated Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) battle. The Yotes were able to hold on in overtime, however, edging the Warriors by a 76-71 final tally.
The loss ends a seven-game winning streak for the Navy and Gold.
"Tonight was a tough loss to a really tough program," said head coach Taylor Kelly after the heartbreaking defeat. "Our guys battled in the second half and we had a lot of opportunities to beat them. They made a few more plays than us and were able to close it out. I'm proud of our team and the way we responded, we're looking forward to competing at Eastern Oregon tomorrow."
The Yotes shot lights out in the first half, energizing the hometown crowd inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center via a 57.1% shooting percentage from the field. That helped C of I stake a nine-point advantage at the midway point, having led by 14 points with just over a minute left in the first half.
With work to do in the second period, the Warriors responded valiantly, clawing back to tie it with 1:12 left to play courtesy of a clutch lay-in from Kendall Moore. On the very next play, the 2021 Spring Freshman of the Year swiped the ball from Ivory Miles-Williams and broke away for a go-ahead layup, putting Corban ahead (69-67) with 48 seconds left—the squad's first lead since roughly six and a half minutes into the game.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, a Drew Wyman layup tied the game at 69 with half a minute left, and neither team was able to find a game-winning bucket as regulation expired, forcing overtime.
The bonus period was just as tense and exhilarating as the final moments of regulation, but C of I was able to pull away in the end and withstand the Warriors' upset bid.
Moore finished with a game-high 21 points and three steals in reserve, bringing life to Corban's efforts on both ends of the floor. Jordan Newt (16 PTS) and Taylor Anderson (9 PTS) added strong efforts from the Navy and Gold back court, while Psalm Maduakor led the team with six boards, adding seven points and providing lockdown defense throughout the evening.
"Kendall was special for us in the second half, and he really kept us in the ballgame," Kelly said of Moore's performance. "Psalm was really good defensively for us, as well."
For the Yotes, Jake O'Neil's 16 points and eight rebounds paced the offensive efforts, while Ricardo Time (13 PTS), Tyler Robinett (13 PTS), and Charles Elzie (11 PTS) rounded out the squad's double-digit scorers.
Corban (14-9, 9-6 CCC) will look to get back in the win column tomorrow night, facing off with Eastern Oregon University at 5 p.m. in La Grande, Ore.
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